@
stefan -- Regardless of San Juan County's energy plan, there is very little evidence to prove that exploitable, marketable oil resources exist within the BENM boundaries. T
he value of possible resources that may result from additional prospecting and exploration is unknown and speculative at best.
Exploratory gas fields mean just that -- exploratory. Meaning that nobody is currently drilling it, neither is anybody planning to drill it in the near future. There has been some interest in the past, but most companies know there isn't enough in the ground there to warrant a full on drilling program. If the BENM was such a hotbed for oil and mineral development, then mining companies would already be in there mining a long time ago.
Just to re-iterate, here's an article from the Deseret News that basically echoes my original claim:
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/...ears-Ears.html
"Myth: Without national monument status, the Bears Ears region will be crisscrossed by coal mines, oil rigs and gas pipelines.
Fact: Mineral resources beneath Bears Ears are scarce. There is no developable oil and gas. The region’s nonrenewable resources, including uranium near the Daneros Mine, were actually outside the expansive monument boundaries declared by Obama. The integrity of the Bears Ears landscape, long kept intact before the creation of the monument, will almost certainly remain intact after Trump’s announcement. And to ensure this going forward, the state of Utah is asking for congressional legislation that will exclude the region from mineral extraction."